Native of Uzbekistan among tonight's York Tech graduates

The Herald Online May 9 Ekaterina Shevchenko started attending York Technical College just months after she arrived in America from Uzbekistan in 2003. She'd been speaking English only a few years, but her dedication quickly caught her teacher's attention. Tonight, she'll receive an associate degree in accounting during the college's graduation at 7:00 at Byrnes Auditorium at Winthrop University. About 230 of the 639 candidates are expected to attend. Shevchenko, 25, who has a degree in education from a university in Uzbekistan, hopes to one day earn a master's degree from Winthrop. York Tech helped her make the transition, she said. "York Tech is a great school," said Shevchenko, whose home country is in the southern part of the former Soviet Union. "The teachers helped me improve my English and realize my dream." Shevchenko came to America with her husband, Russell Belcher, 45. An American, he met Shevchenko at a market in Uzbekistan when he was traveling several years ago. "He didn't know Russian," she said. "He asked me to be his guide." Her instructors at York Tech were impressed by her diligence. Cindy Mayfield, associate dean, notes that Shevchenko always kept a dictionary and thesaurus handy. "She was just a delight," said Mayfield, who taught her English. "She sat on the front row and listened intently." Shevchenko made A's and B's in English and all A's in her accounting classes, which is a rigorous major, said Billy Sexton, accounting instructor. "I was very impressed with Ekaterina from the very beginning," said Sexton. "If she feels she's not getting the most out of it, that bothers her." Shevchenko got an appreciation of education from her parents. Her mother is a math teacher, and her father is an engineer. She has one brother, who is in high school. Students in her country take 13 subjects a semester, she said. The government will pay for school for those who score well on the entrance exam. She plans to see her parents this summer. She misses her country, where people are friendly and fill the table with food when friends visit. Still, she appreciates the opportunities in America. "America is good," she said. "If you work hard enough, you can get anything here."